Manage Me: A Vagabond Romance

by J. D. Fox

  "You didn't seem too concerned about me when I came to you at your office looking for support," I said, trying to find a voice with which to stand up to him.

  "I'm so sorry. Please, please forgive me," he said softly. I pulled away from him.

  "Fine, you're forgiven," I pushed past him toward the door. "Enjoy your retreat."

  "Wait, Dakota. Can't we talk a little? What are you doing here? Do you want to go to dinner so we can talk about things?"

  "No, I'm busy."

  I nearly sprinted out of the lobby as I tried to get as far away from Cody as possible. I also didn't want him to see which floor I was going to, so I went all the way to the end of the hall and used the stairs. I got off on the floor before mine and then ran to the other side of the hallway to use those stairs to get to the top and then quickly into my room. Maybe it was paranoid, but I couldn't help it.

  What was happening? My chest felt tight with panic as I tried to figure out what exactly was going on. There was no way I could stay at the resort if Cody was going to be there all week. Or maybe I could just stay in my room? Either way, I was going to have to explain things to Ryan. He would need to know immediately that Cody was here.

  My stomach was twisted into a million knots as I sat down in the living room area and tried to figure out what to do next. A few of times I jumped up and looked through the peephole just to make sure Cody wasn't walking around anywhere near my room.

  This was a disaster. Just as I was finally feeling like my life was going okay and I had the time and energy to examine my wants and goals in life, Cody showed up.

  Something was wrong with this situation. I'd known it from the moment I'd seen him. There was no way this was all a coincidence. No way they'd just happened to book at the same place where I was staying. But wasn't it? He couldn't have known that I was there. I wasn't using my same cell phone. Lauren had added my number onto her plan, and we'd gotten a new phone before we left Los Angeles.

  I didn't want to think that he had hired someone to track me down, but that was what it had to be. How else would he have found me? How else could he have known that I was at this resort?

  I pulled my laptop out and then immediately closed it again. Maybe that was how he had tracked me down? But it didn't matter now. He knew where I was staying, so I opened it up and searched for the hotel that I knew his retreat was supposed to have been at. It had been at the same place for the entire time we'd been together. I dialed the number without knowing at all what I was going to say or why exactly I was calling them.

  "Hello," I said when the woman answered the phone. "I was just checking if the law firm from Los Angeles was still doing their retreat there? My friend works there, and I was supposed to meet them."

  "Oh, I'm sorry. They canceled at the last minute."

  "Do you know why?"

  "Apparently too many people were sick. I'm not sure, but I bet you could call them and find out. Have a nice day," she said and hung up. I could tell they were annoyed by the cancelation.

  Canceling a huge event like that one had to of cost the hotel thousands of dollars. They had all those rooms reserved, events planned, and extra staff. Plus, it had probably cost Cody's firm a lot as well and apparently just so the retreat could be moved to Redwoods. I didn't know how Cody had pulled it off, but it scared me.

  Everything about this scared me. Cody didn't like not getting his way; I'd known that, but I had adjusted over time to just letting him have what he wanted. Now, I'd left him and stopped caring about what he wanted. I was independent and moving forward. I'd cut off communication with him, and he just had to be freaking out.

  My initial feeling was to hide in my hotel room until the retreat was over. The me I'd been with Cody would have done that for sure, but as I thought more about it, I started to feel a twinge of confidence in the person I'd become over the last few weeks.

  Perhaps this could all be solved with a quick conversation? If I could just talk to him and make sure he knew that there was no way I was interested in getting back together with him, that might be all that had to happen.

  I heard someone at the door and panicked as I ran into my room and shut the door. I pressed the lock shut and then hurried into the bathroom, also locking that door. It couldn't be Cody; my logical side knew that he could have gotten a key to my room, but I was still terrified that he had.

  I pressed my ear up against the door to the bathroom and tried to hear what was going on in the main part of the room. I heard the door shut and then hear someone walking around. It had to be Ryan, or maybe Lauren, but I wasn't about to leave that bathroom unless I knew for sure.

  "Dakota, are you here?" I heard Lauren call as she knocked on the bedroom door. "Are you in there getting busy with Ryan? Hi, Ryan," she laughed.

  After unlocking the bathroom door, I opened the bedroom and immediately burst into tears. Lauren didn't even ask what was going on before taking me into her arms.

  "I'm sorry, I don't even know why I'm crying. It's stupid, and I shouldn't waste any more tears on him."

  "On Ryan? What did he do now? Do you want to leave? I'll tell Jacob that I have to take off and we can drive up to Washington State if you want. I'm serious. Say the word."

  "It's Cody," I said as we sat down on the couch.

  "Wait? You're crying over Cody? I'm so confused. What exactly is going on here?"

  "Lauren, he's here. That big group his is law firm. I don't know how or why, but they're here, and I think it's to find me."

  "That seems a little farfetched. This is a really nice resort; isn't it possible they just had plans to come here?"

  "They always go to the same resort, though, and they canceled at the last minute. I called that hotel and confirmed it. Plus, he acted really weird when he saw me."

  "What did he say?"

  "I don't know; I can't really remember. I was in shock seeing him there. He made it sound like it was a coincidence, but it can't be. He wasn't at all surprised to see me. And there was something really weird about him. I don't know; he just creeped me out."

  "What did you do?" she asked.

  "He gave me a hug. I hurried out of there and ran up the stairs to my room so he couldn't follow me."

  "Oh, honey... And you were hiding in the bathroom for how long?" she asked and looked at me like I was a little and also like she loved me and I understood. It was so outrageous to think that Cody had somehow orchestrated this whole thing just to run into me. He had never done anything even remotely like this in all the time we had been together. Or at least as far as I knew he hadn't. Then the real paranoia started to hit me. What if he had been tracking me the whole time we were together? What if he'd put tracking on my computer, or even on Lauren's car? My mind was racing with all the possibilities.

  "I thought he might have been coming into the room. I know I sound crazy, but you didn't see the look in his eyes. Something is off."

  "Okay, so should we talk to Ryan about this and see what he thinks? Or do you just want to head out and continue our trip? I'm game to do whatever you'd like."

  "I don't know," I replied honestly. "I was really looking forward to using this week to relax and work on myself. Plus, I just started feeling connected with Ryan. I don't want to leave him just yet."

  "I'm going to ask this just to be clear, and I'll trust whatever you say. Are you really sure this isn't just a coincidence? Does Cody even have the power to change where their retreat is? Didn't he just become partner? I'm just playing devil's advocate, but I'm here for whatever you decide."

  "I guess it's possible," I muttered.

  "Let's go downstairs together and figure it out. I'll come with you. We can ask Ryan to be there too if you'd like?"

  "No, Ryan doesn't need to be dragged into this. I don't want to tell him. It's so complicated. I don't want to tell him if I don't have to. Maybe we can just talk to Cody, and I'll tell him I don't want to see to talk to him while he's here. I'll tell him to pretend like he doesn't know me and that h
e should enjoy his retreat and that we are over."

  "Yes, that's exactly what needs to happen. Let's go downstairs before you lose your nerve. There were still tons of those lawyers in the lobby; I'm sure one of them will be able to get a hold of Cody, and we will talk to him together."

  And that was what we did. Lauren held my hand as we walked purposefully down the hallway to the elevators. I was still looking over my shoulder as I tried to keep an eye out for Cody. I'd only been afraid of him twice in our relationship; once at the very beginning when I'd told him I thought the layout for his living room was dumb, and he'd raised his hand as if he was going to slap me. The whole incident had happened so quickly, and he said that he was joking, but it wasn't funny. I'd seen that look in his eyes, and it wasn't a joke. But he never actually hit me, and after that day I didn't fear him physically. Other than the time he had actually hit me, and I'd left him.

  We came into the lobby area and Cody right away. He was standing there talking to Ryan as if they were old friends. I looked at Lauren, and she looked back at me as we both tried to figure out what was happening. There was no way they knew each other, so how on earth had they become so chummy so quickly?

  "There she is," Cody announced and pointed to me as soon as he realized I was standing there. "There's the woman I'm gonna marry."

  A stony look passed over Ryan's face, and I honestly couldn't believe that Cody had the balls to blurt something like that out. But at that moment I didn't care at all about Cody all I cared about was Ryan and how angry he looked.

  "Ryan, this is my ex, Cody," I said as I walked up to the two of them. "We broke up. I am not marrying him. Remember the breakup, Cody?"

  For all my worrying about standing up to Cody, I did it just fine, as in that moment I was more worried about what Ryan might do. I guess that was the thing about stress and worry; sometimes the options were clearer than you could imagine.

  "Yes, we met. He was just telling me about his fiancé and how she was going through a stressful situation, but he was doing the right thing and supporting her," Ryan said in a flat, unemotional voice.

  "How nice for him," I said firmly. "Except for the part where I'm not his fiancé, and I left him four weeks ago."

  I was definitive with my words. I couldn't have Ryan thinking I'd lied about anything that had happened between us. No, Cody and I were long over. In fact, I had zero romantic feelings for him at all.

  "I've missed you so much," Cody said and reached for me.

  "I'll let you two catch up," Ryan added. "I'm really busy, but I'll check in later."

  Ryan looked like he'd been nailed to a board as he walked away; his back was that stiff.

  "Stay away from her," Lauren said and pushed Cody away. "What do you think you're doing? Do you not understand English? She broke up with you."

  "Oh come on. She loves me. Dakota doesn't give up on her investments, and she invested six years. Right, Dakota?"

  "Well, I've given up on this one. I don't know if you thought I was going to come back to you or what you thought was going to happen, but I don't want anything to do with you. I hope you enjoy your retreat but if you see me, don't talk to me again," I said and then stormed off to the elevators with Lauren beside me.

  We hurried into the hotel room, and I started crying immediately. The emotions were overwhelming as Lauren held onto me and I shook with adrenaline comedown.

  "You did so well. It's going to be fine. Don't worry; Ryan's a smart guy. There's no way he's falling for that crap that Cody said."

  Chapter 23

  Ryan

  I couldn't believe he was here. That he'd actually tracked her down and found her at my resort. This was a level of crazy stalker that made my blood boil, and I began to worry for Dakota. As much as I tried to let it go and focus on the tasks at hand, I was fuming. This guy had elaborately arranged for his whole company retreat to be moved to the hotel all so he could reconnect with Dakota. This did explain the last-minute nature of the booking, though. It didn't matter now, though. I wasn't going to be seen with her if it put her in danger. In Cody's mind, he was still engaged to her, and that guy clearly had issues if he'd come up here to find her.

  Just the idea of him putting his hands on her made me see red. I didn't know for sure whether he'd hit her, but she'd looked scared enough that it was a possibility. Plus, I had work to do. This retreat might have been arranged all because this deranged lawyer was trying to win Dakota back, but in the end, it was still being held at my hotel, and I was still going to make it a great week. Plus, we were getting great publicity out of this event, which I'd booked despite a staff stretched thin, so I was determined to make it a success.

  As much as I already didn't like Cody, I would play the part of the accommodating hotel manager and make him and his law firm happy while they were here. I wasn't going to let my personal feelings about any of this prevent me from making it a success.

  "Everything okay?" Wendy asked when I returned to the counter.

  "Yes, let's finish getting everyone into their rooms. Also, I'm going to need a place to sleep."

  "Okay, we'll figure it out," Wendy replied without questioning why I wasn't going to stay with Dakota after all. It was a relief that she let it go without a second thought, and we were able to continue the check-ins smoothly.

  Work was crazy all day with just Wendy and me at the front desk. As soon as we got everyone checked into their rooms, it was time for the first event to begin. Wendy went in to lead it as I finalized all the receipts from the morning. It was one thing after another, and I felt like my brain was being split into a million pieces as I tried to navigate this emotional bomb going off inside of me.

  I'd believed Dakota when she said she'd ended things with him, and she'd seemed genuinely creeped out in his presence, so there was something very wrong here. Aside from what I already knew about him, the guy had a slimy feel to him that set off my internal douchebag alarm. Whatever was going to happen with him, I knew Dakota needed my help.

  When my phone rang, and Hartley's name had come up, I'd almost avoided answering the phone. But I knew that my brother would know what to do, and I wanted to hear his voice.

  "Hey," I said as I reluctantly answered his call.

  "How's everything going? I hear you booked a big corporate retreat, excellent job."

  "Everything is great. I'm swamped today, though," I said as I tried to get him off the phone as quickly as possible.

  "No worries, I just wanted to check if you'd be interested in managing the Italian property. It's struggling a little, so I wanted to get you over there to tweak it a little."

  "When?" I asked, suddenly interested in taking any job that would get me away from the uncomfortable feelings I had at the moment.

  "A couple of weeks. I'm just trying to figure out if I'll need to train someone or if you can do it."

  "I'll do it. Wendy here will be able to take over as soon as I need to leave. I can start working on some GM training for her. But this week is pretty crazy, so it will need to be a few weeks out."

  "No problem. Thanks for getting back into the game, Ryan. We need you. You're great at this, and I wouldn't know what to do without you around."

  "Thanks, Hartley. I'd better get going."

  "Wait, Ryan. Is everything okay? You sound off."

  My heart sunk. Hartley had always been the one who could sense everything about my mood from a change in my voice.

  "It's just girl stuff," I said and tried not to elaborate, but he just sat quietly waiting for me to tell him what was going on. "I met someone who I really like, but she has a shady ex who showed up here wanting to patch things up with her, but something seems off."

  "Oh crap. Okay. Well, the important thing is that she's safe, right? So maybe keep an eye on her from a distance? You don't want to do anything that would put her in danger and set off someone who might be unstable."

  "Thanks, Hartley, I'll do my best."

  "Keep me updated. On the love stuff
and the hotel stuff. I'm here for you, bro," Hartley said. "Talk to you soon."

  "Thanks, I'll call you later this week."

  Our conversation had actually made me feel much better about the whole thing. It was only a week. I could take a step back and observe how he acted from afar to make sure that she was okay, and that he didn't do anything to her that might hurt her.

  Deep down I didn't know what had gone on between her and Cody. I didn't feel the love between them at all. Yet, I couldn't move forward with Dakota wondering if her crazy ex was going to pop back up and complicate things.

  When I saw Cody walking across the lobby toward me, my gut response was to return to my office and let him stand there, waiting. Instead, I forced a smile and nodded hello as he approached.

  "Hey man, my girl and I want a romantic dinner. Can I arrange that in the restaurant?"

  "Sure," I replied skeptically.

  So she was his girl again? Okay. She'd just spent a good while telling him how they weren't together and how she didn't want to be with him, and now she was his girl, and he was planning a romantic evening for them.

  "Yeah, I'd like to set something up for tomorrow night. Maybe sunset, in a back room if you have one. I'd like some privacy so we can talk."

  "I'm so sorry, our private dining room is actually booked, but I can get you a table in the main dining room with a beautiful view of the bay."

  A flash of anger crossed his face but was gone before I could be sure it had even been there. "That'll work, thanks. It's been tough having her freaking out like this. You know how women get when it gets close to the wedding. Only weeks away and she took off. I can't wait to get her back to Los Angeles and marry her so we can put this all behind us."

  My heart was in my throat. I didn't know which way was up and which was down, but I couldn't stomach this conversation for another minute.

  "I'll have the restaurant manager call you later this evening to arrange everything," I said and turned toward the back office. "I need to make a few phone calls. Have a good afternoon."